Race Weekend Central

Thompson in Turn 5: Jeremy Mayfield Hearing Delayed & the Whole Mess Could Have Been Avoided

It has been almost a month since the suspension of Sprint Cup owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield and the matter is no closer to resolution. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing before a North Carolina Superior Court Judge in Mecklenburg County, N.C. was cancelled due to an 11th-hour move on the part of NASCAR to have the case heard in …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Time for NASCAR to Re-think the Re-starts

The scheduled NASCAR powwow between the organization’s top executives, owners and drivers took place Tuesday, just a day after the excruciating conclusion to the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The official line being toted for the get-together at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. was to afford competitors a forum to …

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Thompson in Turn 5: The Jury Is Still out on Scott Speed, AJ Allmendinger Swap

When in the fall of last season it was announced by Red Bull Racing that it had relieved AJ Allmendinger of his duties behind the wheel of the Red Bull No. 84, the news was met with a considerable amount of skepticism within the NASCAR community. It made little sense to many to replace Allmendinger, …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Time Is Ticking for Tony Eury Jr.

Rumor and speculation continues to circulate in the NASCAR community this week that Tony Eury Jr., crew chief of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet piloted by the sport’s Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will soon be replaced. With no credible insider connected to the rumored change atop the pit box, it seems clear …

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Thompson in Turn 5: 1 More Season With Mark Martin Is a Good Thing

Yesterday’s news that popular veteran Mark Martin has agreed to compete full-time at least through 2010 in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – instead of his originally announced part-time, 26-race schedule next season – did not come as a complete surprise. Martin had previously hinted that he very well might be interested in another …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Kurt Busch, Welcome Back

Largely lost in the hubbub surrounding Sunday’s action-packed contest at Talladega Superspeedway that culminated with a spectacular crash, a win by a part-time Sprint Cup driver with only five starts under his belt and surprising finishes by the likes of Scott Speed, Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose was the fact that Kurt Busch is now leading …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jeff Gordon a Legend Amongst Us

Jeff Gordon’s win at Texas Motor Speedway was, without question, a long anticipated victory for the four-time NASCAR champion. The career wins leader amongst active drivers had not visited victory lane in the prior 47 non-exhibition races dating back to Oct. 2007. The winless streak was not in keeping with Gordon’s prolific career statistics that …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Old Controversies, the No. 8 & Aric Almirola are Shelved

On Wednesday, it was reported that the No. 8 Chevrolet team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will be scuttled immediately, removing themselves off the entry list for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway next Saturday night. And with the news everyone has expected for days now becoming official, two separate issues that had …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Potential Loss of GM & Dodge Will Force NASCAR to Make Difficult Decisions

The drumbeat to the demise of American automakers General Motors and Chrysler is becoming increasingly louder in recent days, as both manufacturers appear certain to either cease to exist or file for bankruptcy to seek temporary protection through the courts as they attempt to reorganize their failing businesses. Curiously, NASCAR remains silent as to what …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Clint Bowyer Still Flying Under the Radar

Clint Bowyer, the pride of Emporia, Kan., was on virtually nobody’s preseason list of “drivers most likely to win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship.” But five weeks into the season, the top-performing driver with RCR – on its newest team, no less – finds himself as one of the top contenders in this year’s points …

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